Wan’an Baijia Jiuxian Ancestral Hall

　　The Jiuxian Ancestral Hall is situated within Baijia Primary School in Baijia Town, by the Gan River, and is one of the three historic sites of my county from the Tang to the Qing dynasties. Since its construction in 1870, it has inspired generations of students and gained widespread fame for its thriving literary culture.

　　Since the Tang Dynasty, Jiuxian Village has been home to three renowned sites: Xianju Temple, Angxi Study Hall, and the Jiuxian Ancestral Hall. Originally named Hanshan Temple, Xianju Temple was built during the Tang Dynasty as a place for Buddhist worship. The eminent monk Huaidu once drank from the turtle spring nearby and exclaimed, “The spring carries the fragrance of ink — great scholars will reside here in the future,” leading him to rename it “Xianju Temple” (Scholar’s Abode Temple). From the Song to the Ming Dynasties, literati such as Ouyang Xiu, Liu Chenweng, and Min Zilin of the Song Dynasty, and Guo Jianzhai, Xie Jin, Luo Hongxian, Liu Yu, and Ouyang Zhengde of the Ming Dynasty lectured here. The place became widely known through these notable figures. Angxi Study Hall was a civilian house built by the Song Dynasty patriot Duan Kuizhai along the river to serve as a schoolhouse, enrolling village children whose loud reading voices echoed across the water. The national hero Wen Tianxiang once heard the recitations while passing by boat, stopped to come ashore, gave lectures, and encouraged both teachers and students to study diligently. He inscribed the name “Angxi Study Hall” upon it.

　　During the Xianfeng era of the Qing Dynasty, all academies in Wan’an were destroyed in the Taiping Rebellion. Thereafter, there was no place in Wan’an where students could gather to study, so they had to learn at home with private tutors. To promote the values of respecting the wise, cultivating talent, and upholding righteousness, local teachers Zhang Junxing and Wang Dong initiated a campaign to raise funds from villagers to build a new school. This effort received strong support from the community, with generous donations, and also garnered the attention of then-county magistrate Ouyang Jian. Under his supervision, skilled craftsmen were employed, and after more than two years of construction, the new school building was completed in 1870. The spirit tablets of the Eight Sages of Xianju and Wen Tianxiang were enshrined within, and the school was named the Jiuxian Ancestral Hall. The main gate of the ancestral hall bears a couplet: on the left, “Nine Gentlemen once came to teach in this village,” and on the right, “The people of this district built the hall out of righteousness.” Above the gate is inscribed “The Righteous Qi of Heaven and Earth.” Each season, scholars gathered in the hall for lessons, their essays reviewed and rewarded by teachers. Visitors came to admire the esteemed sages, engage in scholarly exchange, and the site quickly gained a reputable status.

　　The Jiuxian Ancestral Hall is a classic example of ancient academy architecture, featuring an elegant traditional design with corridors, hanging towers, a library pavilion, and a heavenly pool. Covering an area of 741 square meters, aside from the one-story classroom and spirit tablet room, the hanging tower, student and teacher dormitories, and library pavilion are all two stories high. The exterior walls are made of brick, while the interiors are all wooden, richly adorned with carved dragons and painted beams, demonstrating exquisite craftsmanship.

　　After enduring over two hundred years of wind and rain, the ancestral hall gradually fell into disrepair, leaving only its façade intact. The couplets on the front and the stone carving of a carp leaping through the dragon gate are still clearly visible, making it the only remaining relic of an ancient academy in the county.